"The virus is more patient than people are"

Ron Klain served as the chief of staff to vice-presidents Al Gore and Joe Biden. In 2014, he was tapped by President Barack Obama to lead the administration’s response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. He successfully oversaw a hellishly complex effort preparing domestically for an outbreak and surging health resources onto another continent to contain the disease. But Klain — who co-hosts the podcast "Epidemic" — is quick to say that coronavirus is a harder challenge even than Ebola. And it’s not just the disease. The economy is in freefall. Entire cities have been told to shelter in place. There’s no telling how long any of this will last. In this conversation, Klain answers my questions about the disease and how both governments and individuals should respond to it, as well as questions many of you submitted. We discuss: How to change the virus’s reproduction and fatality rates Why public health experts plan backwards from health system capacity, not forward from infections What it means to “flatten the curve,” and why it’s a mistake to think of the curve as singular  What we miss when we shame people into social distancing The difference between “social distancing” and “self-quarantine” Why the "patience" of the virus means we're going to be social distancing for a long time to come What the Trump administration needed to do earlier, and what they still can do now The testing debacle What it would take to surge healthcare capacity in the US — and how fast we could potentially do it  The economic policy necessary to make social distancing possible What kind of economic rescue package Klain, who helped manage the 2009 stimulus, thinks is needed now The strengths and weaknesses of America’s particular health care system in responding to a pandemic like this one Whether coronavirus is showing authoritarian systems perform better than liberal(ish) democracies What Joe Biden is like in a crisis The difference between how Obama and Biden run meetings What Klain thinks Bernie Sanders has gotten right in his response And much more. I’ve been covering coronavirus nonstop and this is one of the clearest, most useful conversations I’ve had. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, the clarity of Klain’s analysis will help. New to the show? Want to check out Ezra’s favorite episodes? Check out the Ezra Klein Show beginner’s guide (http://bit.ly/EKSbeginhere) Want to contact the show? Reach out at ezrakleinshow@vox.com Credits: Producer/Editor - Jeff Geld Researcher - Roge Karma Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices